Planners study need for expanded transit services

The Sheboygan County Economic Development Corporation (SCEDC), Shoreline Metro, and the Bay Lakes Regional Planning Commission have partnered to create and distribute two surveys to gauge the need for extended transit services.

Sheboygan County, Wisconsin’s most recent economic annual GDP growth rate of 3.2% eclipsed both the state and national performance. Since 2011, the County has added 1,000 jobs every year, and with nearly 3,000 jobs still unfilled it is likely this will continue to grow.

Recent SCEDC discussions with county-wide employers point toward the need for Shore- line Metro to extend fixed-route bus services from 9 p.m. to Midnight to accommodate 2nd and 3rd shift change. In addition to surveying the need to expand route timing, the surveys also seek to identify any need to get workers to companies outside the current route system. Many of the area’s largest employers and available jobs lie in rural areas outside of Shoreline Metro’s present service territory.

“It is a problem that our best employers often require new employees to start on 2nd and 3rd shift, yet those shifts are not supported by public transit. If we can connect people to these entry-level manufacturing jobs paying $35,000/year or more plus generous benefits, transportation can provide solid paths for our neighbors to lift themselves out of poverty,” noted Dane Checolinski, SCEDC Director.

The survey results will be used to determine the need and practicality of enhancing transit services to offer greater economic opportunity to residents of the Sheboygan area.

Businesses are encouraged to fill out the survey at: https:// sheboygancountyedc.formstack.com/forms/employertransit

Both Commuters and job seekers are invited to fill out the following survey: https:// sheboygancountyedc.formstack.com/forms/commutersurvey